Saturday, January 21, 2012

Blueberry Upside-Down Cakes

Simona from Briciole is hosting both editions of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I'm enjoying the summer season with some beautiful fresh blueberries.

Blueberries are one of those ingredients I seem to use frozen more than fresh - I don't know if that's because when I get the urge to make something with blueberries they aren't in season, or the more likely scenario, fresh blueberries are just too tasty and I eat them all before I get around to using them.

This time I resisted the urge and finally managed to make something - individual blueberry upside-down cakes!

While you can make this as one large cake I've made 6 individual sized servings using souffle dishes (1 cup capacity). Line the base of the souffle dishes with circles of baking paper - this will help when it comes to turn the cake out.

Make the topping:
Place the butter and sugar in a pan and place over a medium heat - stir until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted and the mixture has amalgamated.

Portion out the topping between the dishes and then generously top this with fresh blueberries - try to make sure that the base is fully covered with blueberries.

Make the cake:
Sift the flour, baking powder and sugar into a bowl - pour in the cooled, melted butter followed by the lightly beaten eggs - stir and then add enough milk to form a spoonable batter.

Using an ice-cream scoop, portion out the batter between the dishes. Level the top with a palette knife and bake in a pre-heated 170°C for about 30 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Let the cakes sit in the dish for a few minutes before unmoulding. If you like, serve with a little lightly whipped cream.

My husband and I go blueberry picking at an organic farm nearby: I pick, he tastes. I think blueberries are the easiest fruit to pick: they are conveniently located at the right height and they come off easily. Your cakes look adorable. I like the way the cake portion is kind of marbled with the berry juice.

Oh, yum - I've spent hours perfecting pineapple-upside down cakes for an older friend who had nostalgic pinings for the way his mum made it in the 50's, but it never occurred to me to try it with anything else! Viva la new, this looks tasty, and your blog facelift looks fab!